Mates
by Jadie Stee
Summary: SG1 awakens to find themselves changed...feeling strangely possessive, especially when it comes to their archaeologist. slashhet.
1. Chapter 1

"Where's Daniel?"

This was not a good way to wake up. Particularly when he was fairly sure he hadn't intended to go to sleep, and if he had, he definitely hadn't done it in a cramped stone cell with Carter on one side, Teal'c on the other, and no sign of their wayward archaeologist. At least Carter and Teal'c were already awake and might have some idea about what was going on, though Carter's question made this doubtful.

"Daniel Jackson was not present when I awoke," Teal'c answered, a statement that was worrying in itself. That Teal'c 'awoke' implied that Teal'c had been asleep. Jack searched back into the dark recesses of his memory, trying to remember what had led up to his waking up upon a cold stone floor sandwiched between a Jaffa warrior and his second in command. He remembered purple trees. Daniel was sneezing and glaring at him for no particular reason. As if it was his fault the trees' blossoms caused Daniel's allergies to flare up. And Jack was sure his comment to that effect was in perfectly good taste designed to distract his teammate from an otherwise distressful situation. Then...nothing. One moment he had been staring into watery blue eyes and the next he was here.

"At least there's not headache this time," he remarked, "No blindness either." He sat up and instantly regretted his former words, as a pain lanced through his head like white fire.

"Whatever you say, sir," Carter mumbled, wisely resting still. Teal'c was already sitting up, looking smugly serene and pain free.

"Didn't we do this already?" Jack demanded from his surprisingly comfortable position on the ground. In fact, he thought he might just lie there a while longer, at least until the flashing lights lancing through his eyeballs receded a bit.

"Which part, sir?" Carter demanded, seeming equally happy to lie motionless, "The being knocked unconscious and waking up in a cell part or the losing Daniel part?"

"Both, generally at the same time," Jack answered. Slowly, he risked raising his head. Teal'c reached over and helped him to a sitting position. He found that if he didn't rise to quickly, the pain didn't overwhelm him and after a minute or two it was practically gone. Finally, he got a better look around. They were in a small stone room, as he had already determined, completely closed in except for the wall directly before them, which appeared to be missing. Beyond the room was a hallway and directly opposite them was another cell.

"Is it just me," Jack asked, "Or does this cell seem to be missing something...important?"

"Major Carter believes there to be a force field of some sort," Teal'c answered, "We have not yet tested her theory."

"Well don't you think we should? I mean, I'd feel stupid to sit in this cramped room and find out the door was open all along."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, and removing one of his shoes, he tossed it towards the opening. The shoe sailed through the opening and struck the wall on the far side of the opposite cell before clattering to the floor. Belatedly, Jack did a rapid search through his clothes, finding out quickly that he had been stripped of everything but the clothes themselves.

"Perhaps it lets inorganic matter through," Carter suggested hesitantly as she slowly pulled herself upright.

"Right," Jack said, before he began to scramble to his feet. He could still feel a dull ache in his head, but it didn't grow any worse through his actions. Cautiously, he stuck out a hand. When he met no resistance in front of him, he shuffled slowly forward, expecting to be thrown back by a jolt of electricity at any moment. None were forthcoming and finally it was obvious that his hand was sticking out beyond the confines of the cell.

"Maybe it also lets organic material through," Carter finished, sheepishly.

"Uh huh," Jack answered, "So we have an invisible, undetectable force field here that lets all matter in and out."

"Exactly," Carter agreed, before reaching out a hand for Jack to take. Jack hauled her to her feet while Teal'c rose more gracefully to his own and managed to give off an aura of regal calm, despite the fact that he was missing a shoe, and apparently wearing orange socks with pink polka dots. Jack considered Teal'c's grave face and decided now was not the time to comment. Instead, he turned and stuck his head out into the hallway. Carter's force field failed to make itself evident, as did any sign of another person. He stepped all the way out into the hallway.

"I do not understand this," Teal'c remarked, his expression foreboding, "What is the use of putting us into a tiny room when there is no way to shut us in?"

"Does anyone remember anything about who grabbed us?" Jack asked, feeling uneasy himself.

"Sorry, sir," Carter answered, "The last thing I remember is you telling Daniel his sneezing is proof the trees are evil."

"And I was right!" Jack insisted, "Look what happened after that!"

"We do not know that this was the last occurrence," Teal'c pointed out, "It is simply the last occurrence that we have any memory of." He then made a move to retrieve his shoe. There was a sudden, brilliant flash of energy and Teal'c was lying crumbled back in their cell.

"Ha!" Carter explained triumphantly, and then looking slightly guilty she added, "You okay Teal'c?"

"I am fine," Teal'c answered, sitting up slowly with a slightly dazed expression.

"Fine fine, or Daniel fine?" Jack asked, moving to give him a hand up. Luckily, whatever force field was covering the opposite cell didn't seem to effect theirs.

"I am well, O'Neill," Teal'c insisted, accepting Jack's help to stand up, "However I believe I must remain shoe-less."

"Not necessarily," Carter insisted, "If the shoe could pass through, then maybe..." But looking around she couldn't see anything that looked like it would be helpful in drawing the shoe out.

"Leave it," Jack ordered, "And let's go find Daniel." Reluctantly, she agreed. Now they only had to figure out how to find him. Jack hesitated, looking in either direction down the hallway. Each way looked the same; row upon row of open cells ending in a corner. Jack was just about to turn and ask the others their opinion when he felt something. It was almost like an odor, or a sound in the distance that was somehow distinctly labeled as 'Daniel' in his mind. He _knew_ that Daniel was in that direction.

"Um...this way," he said, and started forward, deciding not to question it for now. Maybe he could call it intuition.

"Sir..." Carter began, her voice sounding vaguely troubled, "Do you...smell something?"

"I too am having strange senses," Teal'c remarked, "Perhaps we are experiencing repressed memories."

"Sure, that could be it," Jack agreed distractedly. All of his senses were now honed onto that one, elusive feeling. There was a smell like blood, like fear, and he didn't like it. Not when it came from that sense that was Daniel. He began to walk quicker, until he was jogging down the hall and around the corner without even pausing to check for hostiles. As before, there was no one there. Carter and Teal'c shadowed him, sending off their own waves of unease that ran over his skin in a way that would have been disturbing if he hadn't been too worried about Daniel. He could feel him closely now, distress and fear rolling thickly down the hallway in bursts of dark clouds behind his eyes. He didn't even realize he was in an all out run until Teal'c pulled him back, his solid presence rooting him and reminding him of the need for caution. Carter stood next to him, her breath laborious but not gasping and there was no breathlessness to her voice when she spoke.

"We need to get to Daniel." Jack agreed, but Teal'c also had a point. They shouldn't throw out years of training just because they were getting weird vibes. Low to the floor, Jack edged his way around a final corner, peering into a room at the end. This one didn't open onto a tiny stone cell but into a large, clinical tiled space, complete with a surgical bed. Lying whimpering in the bed, naked and glistening with blood lay Daniel.

Caution left Jack and instinct took over. He leapt into the room, running to Daniel's side, his eyes searching frantically for injuries. Despite the blood, there were none that he could see.

"I feel that he is weak, but unharmed," Teal'c said, his voice puzzled. Feeling the overwhelming need to touch, Teal'c put his hand over Daniel's stomach. Jack was already stroking Daniel's cheek, crooning softly. Carter joined them, her own hand resting on his knee for a moment before she noticed the restraints holding Daniel down to the table. They appeared to be made out of leather, or the planet's equivalent, and were simply buckled on. Sam quickly started to undue the ones at his ankles. Seeing what she was doing, Jack and Teal'c started on the ones at his wrists. As soon as he was free, Daniel curled up into a ball. Jack pulled him towards himself until his head was nestled against Jack's shoulder. Jack ran his fingers gently through his hair, still crooning softly. Finding Daniel like this, so upset and obviously not himself, disturbed Jack to the bottom of his soul.

"I will carry him, O'Neill," Teal'c said, "We must leave and find the stargate." Jack looked up defensively, his teeth bared before he realized what he was doing. "I will carry him," he growled back, his voice low and dangerous. Teal'c looked startled, but he bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Sir?" Carter asked, sounding confused and unhappy. All she knew was that she didn't want to let go of Daniel, and that those feelings couldn't be natural. Of course she cared for Daniel, but it had never felt so...desperate before. And surely, Jack had never been able to scoop the archaeologist into his arms quite so easily before. Was it just her or was Daniel smaller? Or perhaps Jack had grown. Either way, something had definitely happened to them.

"Let's just get to the gate," Jack insisted, his arms clutching Daniel's body defensively. It felt right to have him secure in his arms. He knew that something was off about his team, but he couldn't deal with that until they were all safe in the SGC. Then Janet could run tests to her heart's content and figure out what had happened.

Teal'c led the way from the room. Jack followed holding Daniel and then came Sam. At least Daniel had stopped making that distressing sound, almost as soon as he was in Jack's arms. He lay quietly, pressed against Jack's chest. Jack wasn't even sure whether he was awake or not, despite the hand clutching tightly to Jack's shirt. As before, they ran into no trouble. This in itself was disturbing. Why go to all the trouble to knock them out and do...whatever it was they had done, only to let them run free? When the final doorway led them into sudden sunlight, no one was reassured. They hesitated to leave.

Finally, after Teal'c had looked about as carefully as possible and still found nothing of worry, he led the way out of the strange facility. The stood in a forest of purple trees. When Jack turned to look behind them, he saw the gray, wrinkled surface of another tree. There was no sign of a doorway or the building from which they'd come.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack backed away from the tree, holding onto Daniel protectively while he nodded for his teammates to check it out. They reacted instantly to his silent command, Carter reaching out a tentative hand to inspect the trunk while Teal'c circled around it. He made a complete circle without meeting any resistance while Carter ran her hand over smooth, wrinkled bark. There was nothing either could sense that indicated the tree was anything but what it appeared.

"I do not like this, O'Neill," Teal'c announced, his expression puzzled. Jack nodded once in agreement; he didn't like this either. After Carter and Teal'c had inspected all of the surrounding area, Jack had had enough of standing around.

"All right," he called sharply, but when they turned to him his expression was uncertain. Without another word, he turned away and started walking. Carter automatically stepped in front of him and Teal'c behind, their eyes searching about the trees in a wary fashion. Jack was carrying Daniel, and Daniel had to be protected. Their instinctive positions around him came as naturally as breathing, but despite the fact that Carter led, Jack was still their leader. He kept them at a brisk pace, determined to take them as far from the strange prison as possible, but he finally called a halt. He sensed a change ahead.

"There is water ahead, sir," Carter announced, despite knowing that her statement was unnecessary. It wasn't just that they could all hear the familiar sound of a waterfall, but they could feel slight traces of wet mist upon the wind. They could smell wet earth and new plants. She said it out loud not to let her teammates know, but because she felt the need to express the strangeness of their senses. They should not have been able to sense the water so profoundly. At most, they might have heard the faint gurgle, but most likely would have missed it over the wind whispering through leaves.

"Water is good, right?" Jack asked, "We need supplies." But he didn't motion for them to go any nearer to the water. It didn't feel quite safe. Not when his hands were full, and he was unable to properly ward off an attack. Predators watched water. He was quite certain of this, despite the fact that they had seen no sign of anything larger than a squirrel in this place.

"I'll go, sir," Carter suggested, understanding Jack's reluctance because she felt it herself.

"I will stay here," Teal'c added. Jack nodded, his expression still unhappy. He didn't like not knowing what was going on, and this entire situation fell under a very large question mark. It had all taken on a slightly dreamlike quality. Carter nodded once and then went on, slipping silently and swiftly between the trees. It didn't take her long to find the water, despite the way the forest floor began to buckle the nearer she got. She finally came to a large, steep hill, rising above her. Water ran down it in two paths, tumbling down on either side of a a large stone that projected out at the top. A small trickle ran over the stone and fell in a waterfall to the pool at the bottom. Beneath the stone, Sam was immediately interested in the steep cliff side where it seemed to open up into a cave. Altogether it gave the impression of a small, secret valley. There were no signs of animals, but she was still cautious when she stepped forward to explore.

Jack and Teal'c waited patiently, Jack still rocking Daniel gently. Daniel had begun to shiver, whimpering occasionally. The pause had given Jack a chance to try and clear his mind and to think more rationally. In the first place, he knew that he shouldn't be able to stand there, holding Daniel like that. He shouldn't be strong enough, not to hold him for so long, or perhaps Daniel should have been larger, heavier. And Jack knew his knees should have acted up before now. He had been jogging through the forest over uneven ground while carrying a large body. Jack knew this wasn't possible, yet here he was, not even feeling inclined to sit a moment or set down what should have been a substantial weight. The only conclusion he could draw was that something had been done to him. Something had happened to him, to Carter, and likely to Teal'c. Something had definitely been done to Daniel; a man did not arrive naked and covered in his own blood without something having happened, yet Jack still couldn't sense any actual hurt on Daniel's body.

Despite the lack of evident wounds, the smell of blood and distress were making Jack feel anxious. He desperately wanted a chance to look Daniel over properly, to inspect him over, to wash away the blood and to have Daniel awake and talking. Only then would the sick, ugly feeling in his stomach go away and allow him to relax. Before he could do any of that, however, they needed a secure location. What they really needed was the stargate, a GDO, and Janet, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon.

They sensed Carter's return long before they saw her. Jack couldn't say what it was that he sensed. Perhaps he heard the whisper of her feet over the ground, her clothes brushing past foliage. Perhaps it was her smell. Perhaps it was something even less concrete, like a psychic vibe, but both Teal'c and Jack were ready and unsurprised when she finally came into their actual line of vision.

"I've found a cave," she announced as soon as she was near, "Uninhabited and easy to secure. There is a deep pool of water, lots of fish and no evidence of anything larger than a house cat visiting it." That was all the information Jack needed, and they were soon on their way again, once again with Carter leading and Teal'c bringing up the rear. When they finally reached Carter's cave, Jack waited for Carter to once again inspect the area, making sure nothing had changed, until she gave the all clear.

The cave was exactly what they needed. It was large enough to give all four of them space to move about, assuming Daniel was well enough to move about, but small enough that it would be easy to keep secure. The entrance itself was small, giving the cave privacy from the outside world.

Jack didn't relax. It was almost too perfect, waiting for them like that, but by that point he was too anxious about Daniel to care. Once in the cave, he set about at once to do what he had wanted to do from the beginning, while Carter hovered nearby and Teal'c set about exploring the area. Jack placed Daniel just before the entrance to the cave, on a flat space beneath the overhand and next to the pool. Using his own shirt, he started to wash away the blood, inspecting the smooth unblemished skin beneath. After a moment of allowing Carter to watch, he sent her off to gather firewood.

Daniel didn't like the bath or the inspection; he kept trying to curl up against Jack without ever opening his eyes. Jack patiently repositioned his body as he needed, occasionally stroking him in a comforting manner. He started with his feet, finding the skin strangely smooth, and unmarked, even on his soles. It was when he started to wash his leg that Jack came across the first real abnormality, though it took him a moment to notice. Like his feet, the skin was perfectly smooth. There was no hair at all. Jack frowned slightly but continued cleaning until he reached his groin.

It was harder to get at the area, because Daniel kept trying to curl into a ball, and he would whimper when Jack tried to pull him straight. Finally, Jack pulled Daniel into his lap, his sticky red back resting against Jack's bare chest. The contact seemed to soothe Daniel slightly, and he allowed Jack to pull him straight, their legs dangling down together into the pool, and finally Jack was able to wash him properly, starting with his inner thighs. There was no hair here either, giving Daniel the strange impression of being a very well endowed child. Other than this strange lack of hair, everything about Daniel seemed normal in that area. His penis hanged long and limp between his legs, as bloodied as everywhere else on his body, and Jack proceeded to clean it with all the clinical detachment of a nurse. In fact, it didn't even occur to Jack until he was halfway done that he would normally have balked at handling Daniel like that, or that Daniel, if he had been awake, would probably have been beet red and objecting profusely. Perhaps it was the lack of hair and the vulnerability; it made Jack feel like he was handling a child. Or perhaps it was more of the strangeness, like his senses and endurance and desperate need to take care of Daniel.

Despite acknowledging the weirdness of the situation, Jack continued to clean Daniel's groin, as well as the in depth inspection he had given to the rest of Daniel's body. It was during his inspection that Jack discovered the first sign of an actual change. No hair was weird but not necessarily worrisome. Finding an opening that Jack knew no male should have was.

It wasn't exactly a vagina, but it was similar. Jack studied, for a moment in silent puzzlement, then started to slide his finger inside with the same clinical detachment that he had used when cleaning Daniel's penis. It was necessary to make sure there was no blood. Luckily, Daniel appeared to be unhurt there, except for the fact that it shouldn't exist to begin with. Then Jack continued cleaning, taking a moment to probe his anus in the same way, also finding that blood free. The blood appeared to only be on his outside. Then Jack continued the bath up his chest and back and down his arms, finding nothing else that was particularly different except that he still found no hair. It was, in fact, rather a relief to start on his head. Even if he seemed to have hair nowhere else, he wasn't bald. Washing his hair, however, was more problematic, as his shirt wasn't going to cut it, and Jack didn't want to start dunking his head in the pool. He finally managed it by standing once more and putting the top of Daniel's head under the waterfall.

Daniel didn't like that at all, though even cold water splashing over his face didn't seem to wake him up. Jack made this part quick, before sitting them back down so he could run his fingers through Daniel's hair. Daniel was shivering again, though Jack wasn't sure whether it was because he was upset or because he was cold. Either way, Jack carried him properly inside the cave and sat him in his lap, nestled up against his chest, and rocked him like a small child. He started humming to him without even realizing it, and Daniel settled down.

Teal'c, in the meantime, had begun gathering plants from nearby that he thought might be used as bed cushions, and Sam had acquired an impressive amount of wood considering the short amount of time. Sam and Teal'c together started the fire at the entrance to the cave, both to help ward off unwanted company and to allow the smoke a way to escape. Only when all this was done did they join Jack and Daniel, both of them eager to see for themselves how Daniel was.

"He looks better without all that blood," Sam remarked, reaching out a cautious hand to stroke the still wet hair.

"Did you discover the cause, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. He too had reached a hand out, but he managed to pull it back before he actually touched.

"There isn't a mark on him," Jack answered, frowning slightly, "But something has been done to him. He has no hair and...he's been altered."

"How?" Sam demanded instantly, her eyes looking over him critically. She saw at once what Jack meant by him not having hair, and was actually surprised she hadn't noticed before.

"He's...he has...well, he has something extra. That a man shouldn't have." Neither of Jack's companions seemed to understand what Jack was trying to say. Finally, with a sigh, Jack started to position Daniel so that he could show them. Daniel whimpered softly and Jack paused. He knew that he would normally never be treating Daniel's body like this. Normally he would be the first person searching for something to cover him up, not revealing more of him to their friends. But for some reason, that modesty didn't seem particularly important anymore. Neither did Sam or Teal'c protest that he should just tell them, their only concern that Jack not upset Daniel while he showed them. Shrugging inwardly, Jack settled Daniel once more into the more revealing position, rubbing his hand over his chest in an effort to calm him. When he heard their gasps and knew that they had seen, he allowed Daniel to curl up once more.

"Sir," Sam whispered, her voice suddenly tight with anger, "What did they do to him? What did they do to us?" Jack had no answer but to wrap his arms more tightly around the body he held to his chest and to assign Teal'c first watch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Daniel awoke into darkness with the taste of remembered pain beneath his tongue. There was nothing specific to his mind; like a childhood night terror the details fled before his waking mind into a vague notion of fear and pain and then nothing. Daniel considered this without opening his eyes, trying instinctively to grasp at the shadows for something concrete, but there was nothing. He remembered sneezing. He remembered Jack saying something inane. Then everything was monsters in the dark, soul numbing pain, and fear.

There was no pain now, nor fear. He felt merely lethargic, warm and safe, rather like waking on a Sunday morning and listening to the rain outside his window. He even heard water falling and something else, the gentle crackle of flame. He couldn't seem to understand it. He should be terrified but all he managed was sleepy.

"I know you're awake, Daniel," a voice murmured in his ear, "You can open your eyes."

That would explain the darkness then. And perhaps, too, the sense of safety and warmth. Now that he felt more alert, Daniel realized he had recognized Jack's presence all along. It was something in his smell, a smell Daniel had grown familiar with over the years but never quite this acutely. Something was different, and yet it was the same. Still with his eyes closed, Daniel could already tell that Sam and Teal'c were nearby. He could also smell cooked fish, and that brought his mouth alive instantly.

"Hmm..." he murmured without quite meaning to, and finally he opened his eyes. He had to blink for a bit before his vision adjusted even in the dim light. He saw Sam, as he expected, crouched nearby and looking back at him with concern. When she saw for sure that his eyes were opened, she smiled and he found himself smiling in return, not completely sure why. Teal'c was there to, at the fire where several fish were set to cook. He didn't see Jack. In his groggy, just woken up state this confused him, until he felt his pillow move.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice said into his ear again, warm breath puffing against his hair, "You with us now?"

"Jack?" Daniel answered, attempting to twist his head around so that he could see his friend and not quite managing it. Belatedly he noticed Jack had an arm around his stomach, and noticing that led to him noticing other details. Like the fact that, except for a makeshift blanket out of somebody's jacket, Daniel was completely naked.

"Jack?" Daniel asked again, his voice going much higher with concern.

"It's all right," Jack breathed gently into his ear and Daniel began to calm slightly in response to the tone.

"How do you feel?" Sam asked, coming closer to kneel next to them. Teal'c stayed next to the fire, keeping an eye on the fish and out the opening in case of danger, but he too kept turning his head to observe Daniel's condition.

"Fine," Daniel answered absently, still trying to absorb everything he had woken to. Jack chuckled softly and Daniel felt it as a gentle vibration in his back.

"Fine, Daniel?" he asked, his tone implying disbelief. Daniel considered his condition more seriously.

"Fine," he insisted, "Except for the naked part. And...how long have I been lying on you?"

"You have been unconscious for some time," Teal'c answered him, drawing Daniel's attention back towards the fire and the fish. His stomach gurgled. He felt the vibration of Jack against his back once more.

"Since yesterday afternoon," Sam added, "We were really beginning to worry." Daniel frowned and started to sit up away from Jack, only to fall back again in a sudden bout of weakness, his head pounding.

"Rest, Daniel," Jack instructed in his ear, his arm curled protectively tight against his stomach. Then Teal'c announced that the fish were ready and Sam took some over for Daniel. He pulled himself up more slowly this time and with Jack's help he was able to accept the stick the fish was speared on without falling over. He tore into it with ravenous hunger. When it was gone, Sam approached him with another, as well as with a small bowl of water. The bowl was as roughly hewn as the cooking utensils, obviously not something brought from the SGC.

It was only when he had finished his second fish and was on his third bowl of water that he noticed he was the only one eating.

"We already ate," Sam told him, in response to his questioning stare. Daniel was starting to feel stronger, now that he had some substance in him, and he was finally feeling awake enough to really wonder about their circumstances.

"So..." he began, "What happened? How I end up here like...this?" He felt Jack shift behind him and considered moving away. It occurred to him that, normally, he would have jumped away from Jack the moment he realized what position he was in, especially considering his current state of dress. For some reason, even acknowledging this didn't make him feel inclined to do any jumping. Jack felt...comfortable.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jack asked, and Daniel felt him tense, as though he was dreading the answer, or perhaps hoping for something. Daniel closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could. He usually had a fairly good memory, part of the reason he was so good at his job. This time, however, he remembered even less than he had at first waking. The dark dream images had completely receded, leaving only that taste of remembered fear and pain.

"The trees are evil," Daniel answered at last.

"Ha! See, I told you!" Jack said.

"That's what I mean," Daniel said in his patient voice that he often had to use with Jack, "You said the trees were evil. And I was sneezing." He sniffed the air now experimentally but his nose was clear.

"That's what we remember," Sam told him, her face taking on that frustrated look she always got when a puzzle was evading her.

"So, nothing else?" Jack asked, "No aliens knocking us unconscious? No...er...gurneys?"

"Um...I had a dream, I think..." Daniel answered, his face squinched up as he tried to remember, but nothing new came to mind. He shrugged, saying, "Sorry," as he shook his head.

"Just as well," Jack answered, almost managing to hide his disappointment.

"So what happened?" Daniel asked, "Did we wake up here?"

"We did not," Teal'c answered from his post at the cave entrance.

"We were in some kind of detainment facility," Sam answered, "Except they let us go."

"Who?" Daniel asked, still confused.

"We don't know," Sam answered, her frustration clear in her voice, "It's like...they put us in a cell but left all the doors open. We walked out, found you, and left. And here we are in the forest. We've been waiting for you to wake up."

"They just...let us go?" Daniel asked, "Why? Why go to all the trouble to catch us if they were just going to let us go?" Jack cleared his throat.

"They did something else to us," he said.

"Something to us how?" Daniel demanded, not liking the tone of Jack's voice.

"When we found you, you were strapped to a gurney covered in blood. But there were no wounds." Daniel blinked his eyes, taking this in.

"So they, what, did experiments on us? Like a bad alien cliché? Please tell me there was no anal probing involved." Daniel leaned his head back again, finding Jack's warmth calming.

"Erm..." Jack mumbled, causing Daniel to sit up again and twist about to look at him.

"That was a joke," he insisted, "Aliens don't do that. Why would they do that? They didnt..."

Finally Jack finally cut him off, saying, "Not exactly like that. Mostly it seems to be all of our behavior."

"Jack?" Daniel asked, his voice expressing all of his anxious need to understand what had happened to him, to know what was going on.

"We're stronger," Sam rushed in, giving Jack a withering look over the anal probing thing, "Our senses and our bodies. The colonel carried you all the way to this cave without even breaking a sweat, and we here running most of the way."

"Jack did?" Daniel asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes, I did," Jack answered indignantly.

"Our instincts also have adapted," Teal'c announced before Jack could go off on a tangent of wounded pride.

"How?" Daniel asked, settling back comfortably once more.

"Just like that, exactly!" Sam explained, motioning towards where Jack and Daniel were sitting. They looked back at her blankly. Sam sighed at their confusion.

"Daniel, you are naked and using the colonel as a pillow, and neither of you seem to care. Does that seem normal to you?" Daniel's eyes widened, finally catching on.

"Should I move?" he asked, suddenly embarrassed, and he started to pull away, only to have Jack pull him back again with a soft growl.

"I don't mean there's anything wrong with it," Sam explained quickly, not liking the look Jack was sending her, "I just mean, well, it isn't how you normally are!"

"It is indeed unusual to see you like this," Teal'c agreed.

"It's like our socially ingrained sense of appropriate behavior has been rewritten," Daniel said, finally recognizing the oddness and then accepting it.

"Uh-huh," Jack agreed, in a tone that implied he got none of what Daniel just said. Daniel relaxed back again.

"So," he said, "These aliens made us stronger and took away some of our inhibitions..."

"We don't know you're stronger," Jack pointed out, "You've been unconscious all day."

Daniel went on, ignoring the interruption to say, "So is that all they did to us? I mean, is there anything else we know? Is there any way to get back home?"

"Assuming we are in the same forest from before we were snatched, we should be able to find the stargate," Sam answered, "We'd have to dial to another world because we don't have any GDOs, but it should still get us out of here. If it isn't the same forest, that may be a problem." Daniel looked at the way she was avoiding looking him in the eye as she said this.

"And what about the first part of my question?" he asked, "Is there anything else different about us?"

"Not us," she answered, and then suddenly seemed to decide it was her turn to be on watch and she fled to the entrance where Teal'c seemed to forget to actually move from his post, despite it being a rather tight squeeze for two people. Daniel looked at them then twisted to look at Jack.

"You know how I said you were covered in blood?" Jack asked. Daniel nodded. He wasn't covered in blood now, so the logical conclusion was that someone had to have washed up while he was asleep.

"I had to check for injuries and get you clean," Jack said quickly, sounding far to much like he was justifying himself for Daniel's liking. "You have a hole," he said at last, "Down there." His hand gestured towards Daniel's groin, his smallest finger brushing against the cloth of the jacket covering him.

"Jack," Daniel said blinking dumbly up at him. This close, Jack's face morphed into some grotesque monstrous version with one eye and two noses, but even so Daniel could read an anxious expression there. Daniel reached around to pat him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Everyone has a hole down...there."

"No, I mean, you have another one," Jack explained, "Like...like a female one." Daniel blinked.

"Oh," he said, and then turned himself back around so he could lie once more against Jack's chest. He refused to reach a hand under the jacket to check and see what Jack was talking about. If he didn't check, then he could have just misunderstood what Jack had said, and everything would be all right.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, slightly confused by Daniel's reaction.

"I'm fine," Daniel answered automatically.

"Everything else is normal," Jack hastened to say, "You still have, you know...everything else. Nothing seems shrunk or anything. Not that I've really paid attention before, you'd know better than me, but really it's all normal except for that and the no hair thing."

"No hair thing?" Daniel asked, his voice disturbingly flat.

"Erm, didn't we mention that?" Jack asked. Daniel nodded, just in a general way, and considered it a great achievement that he had not yet gone running screaming from the cave. Jack rested his hand against Daniel's chest, rubbing it gently, and some of the tension eased from his body. Maybe it was weird, but right then, it was enough. Daniel let Jack hold him, smelling of safety and strength and something else he couldn't quite understand. For the moment, he let it be enough.


End file.
